Hub crawl

With a little more than 10 minutes left, I knew it was over.

Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu drove to the hoop and was fouled, converting the 3-point play that put Orlando ahead 77-61. Sure, the Celtics had rallied from a similar deficit in Game 4, but they lacked the toughness to complete the same task.

Boston allowed the visiting Magic to shoot 51 percent from the field and 62 percent (13 for 21) from 3-point range. Orlando’s guards were able to get into the paint at will, which allowed for easy dunks for Dwight Howard.

There’s a good chance Boston was just out of gas, following a 7-game series with the Bulls that featured seven overtime sessions. Ray Allen came alive for the first time this series, scoring a team-high 23 points, but Paul Pierce disappeared and Kendrick Perkins’ shots, more of than not, found Howard’s right palm rather than the net.

Sans Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe, the Celtics had a good run and gave fans plenty of thrills. It makes you wonder, though, if this could be the beginning of the end for a team led by three aging stars?